Johnny Lee
Net Worth: $5 million
Venture: Urban Cowboy
You probably recognize Johnny Lee from his iconic 1980s song “Looking For Love”, which was the number one crossover hit and spent three weeks in first place on the charts. The texas-born country singer began his career humbly in a rock ‘n roll band called “Johnny Lee and the Roadrunners”. The band would often play cover songs in various nightclubs and other night venues in Texas during the ‘60s. Eventually, the young singer was discovered by a talent agent while collaborating with Mickey Gilley, a fellow country music singer and musician whom he worked with for over ten years.
The duo found their shot at fame when they collaborated on the soundtrack for James Bridge’s romantic drama film, Urban Cowboy. From there, Lee went on to release various successful singles, including “One in a Million,” “Bet Your Heart on Me,” “The Yellow Rose,” and other hits that were released in the ’80s. Lee suffered a number of tragedies in the ’80s and ’90s, with his ex-wife dying from prescription painkillers and son from a drug overdose. Since then, Lee has been an activist for stopping the use of illegal drugs.
Dwight Yoakam
Net Worth: $45 million
Venture: Bakersfield Biscuits
Dwight Yoakam is the unchallenged king of coolness and stoic facial expressions, with classic country songs such as “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere”, he is hailed by many as one of the greats and is often listened to by fans who want to reminisce about the “good old days” of Country music. Yoakam initially rose to fame in the early ‘80s and has since released over twenty albums. Since his debut, he has successfully sold over twenty-five million records worldwide that have received gold and platinum status.
Yoakam is loved by many for his unique style, and even managed to reach triple-platinum status for his fifth album “This Time”. With over thirty singles reaching the top of the Billboard Hot Country charts, and a strong sense of business, Yoakam has built himself a fantastic net worth of almost $50 million. The Kentucky-born musician and entrepreneur is also the owner of a restaurant and food maker called Bakersfield Biscuits and is the manager of the Bakersfield Beat radio station.
Faith Hill
Net Worth: $80 million
Venture: Tennessee Titans
With sales of over 40 million albums worldwide and an obsessed fan base that swears by her, Faith Hill can easily be considered one of the most famous and successful Country musicians in the world. Together with her husband of 25 years, Tim McGraw (who's also a musical icon in his own right), the couple is a powerhouse of music and wealth.
The couple also holds a large stake in the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. While McGraw is a lot more involved with managing the team on a daily basis, both of them appear to be active owners and take a lot of pride in their team’s success. Born in Mississippi, the singer grew up knowing early on that she wanted to become a big Country star. Her first single, “This Kiss”, debuted in 1998 to popular acclaim and her Soul2Soul tour is one of the best-selling tours the genre has ever seen. The future looks very bright for this couple, as they currently have a combined net-worth of over $80 million through their successful music careers and smart business decisions.
David Lee Murphy
Net Worth: $8 million
Venture: No Zip Code
Originally starting out as a songwriter and transitioning into a musician in his own right, David Lee Murphy has managed in a couple of years to stockpile a respectable net worth of almost $10 million through his musical career. The country artist’s most popular hit songs to date include “The Road You Leave Behind,” “Party Crowd,” “Out with a Bang,” “Dust on the Bottle” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” (not to be confused with Bob Marley’s song). He’s currently developing a musical project with Kenny Chesney.
Lee Murphy has released five albums so far and has been on a temporary hiatus since 2004 after almost two decades of activity. During his humble beginnings in the musical industry, the veteran country singer spent his time writing songs for other famous country singers such as Thompson Square, Jason Aldean and Jake Owen. His best known work was “Big Green Tractor,” which ended up becoming a big hit for Jason Aldean.
Johnny Rodriguez
Net Worth: $4.6 million
Venture: RunninWide
Most people know Johnny Rodriguez as the Latin American country singer who managed to build his musical legacy and millions of dollars in net worth during the '70s and '80s. What most people don't know is that the young boy from Texas used to live in a family of ten and was put in jail at a young age following his father's and brother's deaths, which caused the young teen to stray. At just 20 years old, Rodriguez decided to turn his life around and moved to Nashville to try his luck as a country singer. He arrived with a guitar and $14 but soon found the demand for his musical and songwriting skills.
From there the Latin-American country singer went on to gain fame and national attention with his debut single "Pass Me By." Rodriguez's success peaked in 1975 with three number-one singles: "I Just Can't Get Her Out of My Mind," "Just Get Up and Close the Door," and "Love Put a Song in My Heart." His troubled youth kept creeping up on him as he was involved in very severe legal troubles. Fortunately, Rodriguez was able to stay on the straight path and continues to perform and release albums even today, with his latest album, "Live From Texas" coming out just a few years ago.